Almost Wordless Wednesday

'Cat Tales'  I'm dropping  this piece off in Saint John later today for a fund raising auction.  It's a 10 inch fused and slumped plate.

April Fools Sale in my Etsy Store & Mothers Day promotion on Starving Artist Forum

Check out my Etsy store... I'm having an April Fools Sale...  The sale will be in effect the entire month of April, 20% off store wide  Just in time for Mother's day!

Ths is my newest electroformed tree bead... It's headed towards etsy.. but I haven't found my caliphers and my camera in the same place yet.... I really like how this turned out!  (and yes the little wonky stand will be included!)

As for the Starving Artists Mothers Day Promotion... you get 'ballots' for doing Social Media things.... Here's a link to the Starving Artists Blog of all the ways you can get ballots to win one of three gift certificates from the  starving jewelry artists shops that are listed in that blog post!  You can spend the 'money' in any participating shops... Buying something from me doesn't get you any extra ballots but it will make me happy... and I make much nicer beads when I'm happy then when I'm sad!

ABS March challenge.. Sacred Spring

Nave Nave Moe (Sacred Spring, Sweet Dreams) by Paul Gaugin 1894, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

This month our inspiration for the ABS Challenge  was  Sacred Spring, Sweet Dreams.  The artist Gauguin was inspired to paint this by the bright colourful primitive cultures that he encountered after moving to Tahiti in 1891. 



I loved the bright red's and yellows in this paining.. I made a red and yellow murini to decorate my lampwork beads with and used bright copper beads and wire as accents!  I love spring  my first crocus was in bloom yesterday!

With my floral focal I tried to pick up some of the other colours in this months palette.. I had fun cutting and hammering copper sheet and wire to make the 'links' & beads.  There are also a couple of copper and sterling beads , some chain maille and some coppper plated Mykanos clay beads, and my lampworked beads and spacers.

Tired of Bead Soup?

I took a class from Stephanie Sersich in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago...  I've been practicing my off mandrel Star Fish ... This one came out of the kiln yesterday... I think he looks like he's dancing!

One World One Heart

This is the fifth and final year of One World One Heart.... The Blue flameworked/lampworked heart above is what I am giving away this year. I am making one draw... random number generator ... please only leave one comment!

For every 100 comments I receive I will add another bead to my winners prize stash! A picture of the extra bead(s) will be added to this blog!

I will notify the winner on Friday Feb 18th that they have won, The winner has 24 hours to get back to me with their mailing address, If I haven't heard in 24 hours I will generate another winner! Good Luck!

SORRY A LINK WOULD BE USEFUL! OWOH

and here's a link to the particpants

Friday Feb 18th 2 pm Atlantic time....  I just put 1 -131 through Random.org and got #15 which is Fat Dormouse from the UK... she will be getting the heart bead and one or two more beads... providing she answers my email... I actually picked 4 numbers!  Thanks for participating in the final OWOH!

Almost wordless Wednesday

When we were in NH just before Christmas I saw a huge window made out of rondels.... So I decided to make some lamp-worked rondels and design a window around them.... This is the UNFINISHED prototype... (and yes it should be rotated 90 degrees to the right!) now to design one that suits the criteria of my commission... brown and gold glass.... Think I can sneak in bevels and rondels and lots of texture... will they like it.. or will I be making stock for the gallery!

Finally lit my torch today! ... in search of the elusive matching glasss beads!

Well I'm back in the studio... my birds are done... and shipped so now it's time to melt in bead shop... (Yes it's hot here...) I need to making earrings... that means two beads the same... Even with Gord saying there is a head in between the earrings when they are being worn... they are together when they are being sold so... they have to be pretty close to matching!

Just one of the many earring-less sets that are patiently waiting.....

Happy Easter

Was trying to find a bead that looked like Easter.... Easter Colours is as close as I come ....



Guess it's sort of egg shaped...

Almost wordless wednesday

Well I'm away... I meant to set this up before I left.... Did I NO.....! So I'm going to help myself to a bead off of my etsy site! This one is called
"Dreaming of Spring"...

Actually NB looks a lot like Spring.. Edmonton still has way too much snow to be seriously thinking spring.. and Montreal were I changed planes... it was snowing hard enough I was worried that my plane to Edmonton would be canceled!

But I can still Dream!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

OK .... I know by February I should be in production mode for the gallery... but due to a bunch of us who can not type think and spell all at the same time... the challenge was out to make Fla'migos... Not sure what instruments the rest of the Tres Fla'migos will be carrying ...

All suggestions welcome ( I Know I can't do a Guitar!)

The hat on this one is a bit dark and my DH says it looks like it's swallowing a bunch of walnuts

New style tree beads

I just love the way these two beads turned out! The enamel is under the encasing... The ridges are caused bu spiraling transparent glass over the enamel and melting the spiral in before the bead was encased!

More about Bead Soup

This is what I sent my partner in 'Bead Soup Blog Party' Today was the mailing deadline... My Beads are going to England and I'm getting my stash from England... Deadline to have things made is Feb 10 (which is also my father's birthday and my/our anniversary) The question is will the international postal systems even deliver our beads by then!

Here's Joanne's blog (my partner!) While your checking out her blog scroll back to January 10 and look at the lego ball winder for wool!

The Big Reveal!

Remember my Strips of glass from a
Sapphire Gin Bottle ...









Then there was the beads....



And now we have the finished necklace & earrings.. They were a Christmas present for my sister, the chain is made from sterling rings,mobius knots and two coil Celtic Knots..


I'm looking for interesting coloured bottles to add to my bottle bead repertoire! If you have any suggestionson pretty coloured bottles leave them in the comment section!

Almost Wordless Wednesday... a day late

Well I'm back.... the workshop in Ottawa was wonderful.... I actually did sell a few beads in the Starving Artists SSSH sale ... if you missed the sale too bad the beads are all back up to full price...

Here's a bead that I made Monday after I got home from Ana's class... the tree is marginal but I love the background, & the shape needs some work!

Never got the picture uploaded so here it is a day late .... the dramatic 'windblown' one on the left is from the workshop the one on the right I did on Monday...

Fab Friday Find...

Isn't today Friday??? We had 3 days of sun... I don't do computers when I can be outside! and since I don't have any pictures of gallery artists toda's find is Amy from Form Fire Glassworks she's an architect in her 'real' job... these are her beads.... Aren't they neat!

Fab Friday Finds

Todays' fab finds are from other members of my etsy groups... First is Fire Diva's

This is Frankie the Weiner Dog from May Beads

2nd Sateam (stands for Starving artist team... I know all about being a starving artist since I've been doing glass full time now for over 20 years!)

This is called Flight of Fancy


my 3rd team is the CGGE Team Creative glass guild

this is a glass brooch called Diva Michelle done by Nivenglassoriginals



And last but not least is the ABSteam Artisan Beaders Street Team This is a necklace done by Patty of BrokenTeePeeDesigns... If you feel the need to buy me something this would be entirely acceptable!

it's call Summertime

Rainy Friday....

Before we moved to NB I used to do a lot of architectural glass.... this piece is called on the fault line and has been living in a box in our garage for at least 9 years.... G is acting as VANA in the picture... Our driveway is at a steep angle and there is always a 'breeze' here so I wouldn't let G let go!... To quote the natives when we have near hurricane force winds... it's "Breezin' up a Bit"

One of the local galleries was looking for some bigger pieces so I thought this might as well spend the summer in St Andrews... but I wanted to check to see if it was OK first....

The fish are fused first then leaded in place... G & I did the woodwork....